


Pen Pals

by Tovaras



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, M/M, Pen Pals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2018-10-09 07:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10406856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tovaras/pseuds/Tovaras
Summary: When Hanzo gets a penpal as an assigment, he finds the entire thing to be stupid. What on earth would a penpal be good for?Who even writes letters anyway?





	1. Letters

_«Come on, anija,»_ Genji said, a hint of laughter in his voice as he addressed his older brother. _“You make it sound like it is the end of the world. Who knows, it might be good for you. It will help broaden your horizon some, make some friends across the sea that don’t have to see your grumpy mug all the time.”_

Only years of similar reactions helped Genji dodge the slap that came his way, which only made him grin even more.

 

_“It is a foolish assignment,”_ Hanzo growled as he looked at the paper in his hand, glaring at it as if it had somehow offended him.

 

It was a simple assignment, really.

All of them had gotten a letter each from their teacher, sent to their school by various students from all over the world as a part of an exchange-program. It was a way to learn about different cultures and to make friends outside of Japan, but to Hanzo, it made no sense. Why would he be interested in someone he knew nothing about? For all he knew, he could have been given a letter from some idiot that he shared no common interests with and with no culture, and he would be forced to exchange at least five letters with this individual so he would at least have a basic understanding of the person’s country and culture.

 

_“Come on_ ,” Genji said again, nudging his brother lightly. _“It could be fun. Maybe you will make a new friend and learn something new. I can’t wait until I can do the same when I reach my final year.”_

 

_“You already speak to people from around the world,”_ Hanzo remarked, carefully brushing a stray lock of hair away from his face. _“This should be nothing special to you.”_

 

_“It is,”_ Genji replied as he got up from his spot on the floor. _“Because this is a unknown individual. The people I talk to online are people I’ve met through games and forums so I know I have a shared interest with them.”_

 

_“Yes, so it makes sense for you to talk to them.”_

 

Genji sighed and patted his brother on the back. “ _Come on now, give it a try. You don’t want to disappoint them, do you?”_

 

_“Disappointment is a part of life,”_ Hanzo replied dryly, then grunted as he felt the thwack from his brother’s hand against the back of his head. _“Do that again and I will end you. Now get out of my room, I have homework to do. Important homework.”_

 

_“Yeah, yeah,”_ Genji said. _“I’ll get out of your hair, anija. Just don’t be too mean when you write them back, yeah? You do want to get a response back.”_

 

Hanzo merely grunted and waved Genji off, throwing the letter onto his desk before he started on his homework.

He had always been a good student, one who did very well in his classes. He picked up things fast, be it subjects, sports or even languages, as well as art and literature. Being the eldest son in the Shimada clan, he was the one who would take over the family-business one day, being the head of everything, but working together with Genji.

  
That is, if Genji stopped fooling around and started taking things more seriously.

 

Hanzo couldn’t blame Genji, not really. He was only fifteen years old, having started his final year in junior high while Hanzo was in his last year in high school. He had so much energy and he was seeing the amount of pressure that Hanzo was under to do well in everything he did. The expectations from the clan elders were sky high and while Hanzo had never questioned them, Genji had slowly started to become more rebellious. The younger’s Shimada’s place at the private high-school was already there so he didn’t have to worry about not being accepted into a good school, just like Hanzo hadn’t needed worry. He wanted to live life while Hanzo had remained loyal to his family’s wishes. He had worked hard, got top grades and did well in the thing he set his mind on.

 

Tapping his pencil against his textbook, Hanzo let his eyes glance over to the letter that rested next to his laptop, frowning a little bit.

Who even wrote letters anymore when e-mails were so much faster and more efficient?

Writing by hand was a thing of the past. It took longer to write, it took longer to receive and to Hanzo, it just felt like a waste of time. It the goal was to broaden their horizon, to practice their written language and to experience a different culture, wouldn’t an e-mail be a more efficient way to do it?

Still, he had to admit that he was a little curious about the innocent-looking envelope that was resting on his desk, wondering just how far it had traveled. Reaching out, Hanzo picked the envelope up again and looked at the front.

 

The post-mark showed it had come all the way from America and the stamps that decorated the slightly smudged envelope were festive and colorful, showing pictures of what Hanzo assumed were foods of some sort.

The address on the front was addressed to Hanzo’s school, written by a hand that seemed to have never held a pencil in its life if the messy handwriting was anything to go by. He hoped the rest of the letter was a little easier to read.

 

He carefully pealed the envelope open and fished out the folded-up piece of paper that was inside.  He wrinkled his nose some as what seemed to be a little bit of loose tobacco fell out from the folded-up paper, carefully wiping it into his hand and disposing off it into his trashcan before he focused on the letter itself.

 

The same messy hand-writing decorated the lined paper, though there seemed to be at least some sort of effort made to make it readable. Hanzo supposed he couldn’t blame the person too much, letters weren’t exactly a common thing anymore as far as he was concerned and as students grew older, note-books and paper were replaced with computers.

 

Leaning a little back against the back of his chair, Hanzo made himself comfortable as he started to read the letter.

 

_“Howdy Partner, wherever you are in the world!_

_Pleasure to make your future acquaintance!_

_Since ‘m the one starting with this writing, I guess it’s only polite to introduce myself first. My pa didn’t raise no heathen._

_M’name is Jesse McCree and I’m a 17 year old hot-blooded guy from Santa Fe in New Mexico. That’s in the US, in case this actually goes to a different country ‘n all. Which would be pretty awesome._

_Never done one of these letter exchange thingies before so you’ll have to forgive me if I plain suck at it, but ‘m doing my best with what I know. ‘m usually more of a chat or skype kinda guy._

_So yeah, name’s Jesse and I’m from Santa Fe, which is hot most of the year. It’s currently September and a pleasant 74 degrees outside. Fahrenheit that is. ‘s about 23 in Celsius and yeah, I had to google that shit.”_

 

Hanzo couldn’t help but snort at that, smiling a little to himself as he continued to read. Despite the obvious dialect the guy was writing in, it wasn’t hard to read. At least not very.

 

_“I live here in Santa Fe with my pa and it’s a pretty cool place to live, at least if you like being outdoors, which I do. Got hiking-trails, horses, rivers, a lot of wild area around here. My pa took me to the shooting-range last week to teach me how to use a gun. Been huntin’ with him and his buddy every autumn since I was six, but I’ve never shot anything m’self. Hoping to change that as soon as I get my license and all._

_As for me, ‘m an outgoing outdoorsy type of guy. Like being outside with my friends, like playing sports and I like takin’ pictures. I’ll send you some of Santa Fe if you wonna. ‘m also into old movies and books, especially Westerns.  But I guess that much is obvious when you see my writing. If it’s hard to read, lemme know. Just wanted to give you a little taste of how people speak down here._

_Anyhow, that’s me. Not sure what else to write so ‘m gonna leave the ball in your court. Ask me whatever you want and I hope to hear from you soon, stranger!_

_Kind regards,_

_Jesse McCree”_

 

The first image that popped into Hanzo’s mind was a hillbilly. He had seen them on the stupid American TV shows that Genji liked to watch and this guy seemed to fit the bill based on some of his interests and his dialect. He knew that it was just a show, that all Americans weren’t like that, but he couldn’t help himself.  
Still, this Jesse McCree seemed friendly enough and despite the attempt at writing an accent was somewhat lost on Hanzo, he had to admit that he was a bit curious about this unknown man.

 

Deciding that his homework could wait a little while longer, Hanzo located a fresh piece of paper from his printer and started writing back.

 

_“Kon’nichiwa, McCree-San._

_It seems like I was the lucky recipient of your letter and I hope it will bring you amusement to learn that your letter has traveled all the way to Hanamura, Japan. As you already seem familiar with google, I am sure you can figure out what Kon’nichiwa means with that aid._

_My name is Shimada Hanzo, though it will be Hanzo Shimada if I am to introduce myself in the western style. I am 18 years old, in my final year of high school and preparing to attend college once I am done. I have not yet decided what to apply for yet or where, but it will most likely be business related.”_

 

Hanzo paused some as he tried to figure out what to write, not sure what would be too cold or to weird. He tapped the end of his pen against the paper while reading through Jesse’s short letter before he continued.

 

_“As mentioned, I live in Hanamura, a district at the outskirts of Tokyo. It is known for the Cherry Blossom festival that happens between March and April. It is late September when I am reading this so the festival is long past, but it was a beautiful sight. I can send you pictures if you want to see some._

_As for me, I am a very active person as well. I like training archery as well as martial arts in my spare time, but I also play chess and read books, and, when the desire strikes me, I draw. When time permits it, I accompany my brother and parents to Tokyo or for trips.”_

 

Biting at the bottom of his pen, Hanzo frowned as he struggled with coming up with things to write. What was interesting to write about? What did his brother usually write about when he chatted with people online?

He had never been good at socializing, let alone small-talk, and writing a letter was just about the same thing. A piece of paper full of small-talk.

 

_“I will admit, I am not very good at this letter-business either. I am a more direct person who usually deal with e-mails, so I apologize that you did not get a very good recipient for your letter. I find it hard to ask questions about a person I did not choose to talk to myself.”_

 

He paused, wondering if that was too harsh to write it so straight-forward, but then decided that honesty was for the best. If he didn’t get a response, then that was that. He wouldn’t shed any thoughts to someone he did not know.

 

_“Still, should you choose to write me a response to this letter, then I will be happy to receive it._

_I would like to hear more about America and Santa Fe. I have never been to America myself and the only thing I know is what I hear on the news and the silly shows my younger brother watches. He is 15 and loves your soap-operas and comedy-shows.”_

 

Deciding that this was as good as he could get it, Hanzo signed the letter with his name and added his address at the bottom of the page before folding it up. He would have to ask his father for an envelope later so he could mail it after school the next day.

 

_“Ridiculous,”_ he mumbled to himself as he turned his focus back to his homework, but he would be lying if he wasn’t a little bit curious if he would get a letter back.

He supposed only time would tell.

 

***

 

_“Anija! Anija, there is a letter for you!”_

 

Waking up from his nap with a small grunt, Hanzo ran a hand over his face as he struggled with forcing his eyes open. He had been up way to late the day before, watching a movie while working on a drawing before he fell asleep. It was a rarity for him, sitting up late, but it did happen.

He was still groggy when he heard the door to his room slide open before letting out a protesting yelp as Genji jumped onto his bed. _“Genji, I have told you to knock first!”_

 

_“I did, but you didn’t answer,”_ Genji said while waving the white envelope in front of Hanzo’s face, using his body to pin Hanzo’s legs down so he wouldn’t kick.

_“Who is it from, anija?”_

 

_“I don’t know, I haven’t even opened it yet,”_ Hanzo replied as he used one hand to snatch the envelope from his brother’s hand and placed the other on Genji’s face in attempt to push his brother away. _“Please, act your age instead of being a brat.”_

Genji only grinned and licked the palm of Hanzo’s hand, which made his older brother remove his hand as if it was on fire. _“Really, Genji? Really?”_

 

_“Come on, just open it!”_

 

_“Why are you so interested,”_ Hanzo asked as he flipped the later open, raising an eyebrow in response as he recognized the messy hand-writing on the front, except this time it was addressed to Hanzo instead of his school.

It was a response from Jesse.

 

Instantly feeling more awake, Hanzo sat up on his bed and started opening the letter, a weird sense of excitement rushing through him.

He had all but forgotten that he’d sent the letter and as the days and weeks had passed by, he had completely dismissed it from his mind.

 

_“Is it from your pen-pal,”_ Genji asked, trying to look over the paper as Hanzo unfolded it. _“What does it say?”_

 

_“Knock it off, this is private,”_ Hanzo growled as he tried to push Genji away, who merely laughed and squirmed up onto the bed to sit next to his older brother.

 

_“Come on, anija! Read it for me!”_

 

_“Fine,”_ Hanzo sighed as he leaned back against the wall. _“But I will read it in English.”_

 

_“Fine by me,”_ Genji said, sitting up and looking attentive, an eager look in his eyes.

Hanzo had to admit, it was a cute look on his little brother.

 

“Dear Hanzo,” he started, his English having a slight accent to it as he spoke. For fun, he even tried his luck on the supposed accent Jesse claimed to write in.

“So you are in Japan? That’s neat, ‘ve never spoken to anyone in Japan before. I’ve watched a bunch of Anime though, so I guess that counts a little?

“How’s it like, livin’ in Japan? Is it as strict as it seems? Are the girls as timid and shy as they are in the animes? I hear you are super-polite about everything!”

 

Genji let out a small snort and grinned. _“Wow, he really doesn’t know much about Japanese culture, does he,”_ he mused.

 

_“If he bases it on anime alone, then I’d agree,”_ Hanzo mused.

 

_“Bet he only watches hentai!”_

 

_“You watch hentai as well so you have no room to talk. Now, do you want to hear the rest,”_ Hanzo commented, shooting his little brother a look. Genji made a show of clamping his mouth shut, returning his attention to the letter.

 

“People here in America ain’t so polite about stuff. Most of the time people seem to argue about somethin’, and if they don’t have anything to pissed off at, they will make shit up. I dunno how much American TV you get over there, but whatever you see, it’s probably true.”

 

_“Hah, I knew it!”_ Genji exclaimed.

 

Hanzo just ignored the comment and continued reading.

“Not sure what time it is over with you, but October just rolled around when I got your letter. I guess such a long trip will take it’s sweet time, eh?

“The weather is still warm down here, but not as much as it was. Makes school a bit more bearable as we’re not boiled alive in there. Think the air-condition crapped itself last year and nobody has come around to fix it yet.”

 

_“Booooring,”_ Genji exclaimed. _“Is rest of the letter like that?”_

 

_“More or less,”_ Hanzo said while quickly scanning through it. “ _What did you expect? Secrets and gossip? I do not know this person or any of his friends. That and this is only his second letter to me.”_

 

Genji let out a small huff and made a point of crawling over Hanzo as he got out of his bed, earning him a well-placed kick in the ass. _“I’m going to go play video-games. Want to come with me to the arcade later?”_

 

_“We’ll see. Now get out of my room, Genji.”_

 

Genji responded by sticking his tongue out at Hanzo before leaving the room, letting Hanzo read the rest of the letter in peace.

He had to admit that his younger brother was right. The letter wasn’t exactly riveting reading-material, but he didn’t expect it to be anything but. They were two strangers who happened to be assigned to one another and they were making the best of it.

The rest of the letter was just Jesse telling Hanzo about what he had done, his trip to the shooting range and about a fantastic dinner his pa had cooked up after the trip to the range. He also made a brief mention of his sister and something silly one of his friends had done, which had involved a skateboard, rope and a car.

 

It was funny, but Hanzo found himself enjoying the small glimpses into this stranger’s life and he eagerly started penning a response back to Jesse as soon as he was done reading the full letter for the second time. He had to admit that it was nice to just sit down and write about his day to someone, even if the assignment was somewhat… forced upon them. And Jesse seemed like a nice guy, asking questions about Hanzo, Hanamura and Japan in his last letter, and Hanzo in turn got more curious about the American.

He felt a little bad as he wrote his response back, all but copying the questions that Jesse asked him at the end, but he figured that it was normal. They had to start somewhere and the questions were basic. So he asked more about Santa Fe, about Jesse and his family, anything he could think off that would be interesting and not too personal.

 

By the time the next letter from Jesse came around, the American had dropped all sense of “privacy” and was openly asking questions about Hanzo: about his appearance, more about his brother and family, wishes for the future, and Hanzo, without even thinking about it, answered them.

He asked the same answer in return, at least those he could, because Jesse already answered some of them in the very same letter.

 

When the fourth letter came, Jesse added a couple of pictures with the letter, both of what Hanzo assumed was Santa Fe, but his interest wasn’t really caught by the beautiful scenery the pictures showed. It was drawn to the one that had two people in it.

One of an older man and one of a younger one that seemed to be around Hanzo’s age, and despite barely knowing him, he instantly knew that this was Jesse. His pen-pal. He recognized him instantly from the descriptions and in a strange way, he felt like he was looking at the face of a friend.

It made him smile.

 

He didn’t even realize how much he was looking forward to each letter before letter number five finally rolled around and he all but dropped everything in his hands so he could take it and bring it to his room so he could read it in peace.

Dropping his bag, Hanzo placed himself on his bed, eagerly tearing up the envelope so he could get to the folded-up paper inside. As he unfolded it, he was a little put off by how short it was, but then he remembered.

 

This was the last obligatory letter.

Next Hanzo would write about what he felt he had learned about his pen-pal and what his experiences had been, and he found a sudden cold feeling in his stomach.

Swallowing, he slowly let his eyes drift to the top of the letter before he started reading.

 

_“Hi there Hanzo!_

_Hope your day’s been fine! I know mine has been great at least. There was a plumbing issue at school so everyone was let loose early, which I definitely didn’t mind at all. Just meant more freedom for me to mess around a bit. Me and some friends headed off to the hills to do some bike-riding since there’s no snow yet, but it was a bit cold, zooming around in just a t-shirt._

_Christmas is coming up hard and fast too, and I still haven’t thought about presents. At this rate, my pop will get another tie to his collection. Maybe I should just get him a six-pack instead, then he can get some enjoyment out of it. And me, if I am lucky._

_Are you doing anything for Christmas? Is there like, a difference between the western celebration and the eastern?_

_By the way, how did that test of yours go? Must be over and done with by now. Though I bet you aced it, like you do everything else. Nothing less but perfection, eh? And would I be wrong in guessing you have your whole letter-report ready by now?”_

 

Hanzo paused a little at that point. Had he come off as that cold in his letters? He had tried very hard to come off as friendly and curious, but it was hard when he only had words to use.

Maybe Jesse felt that Hanzo wanted to just get the entire thing over with…

 

_“I don’t,”_ he whispered to himself, inhaling deeply before he continued reading. There wasn’t much left to read anyway.

 

_“So… Might as well jump right to it, eh? This is the last obligatory letter between us. Tell you the truth, I’m a bit sad that it might come to an’ end and all. I like these little snippets between us, even if it takes a heck of a long time for the letters to arrive. But it’s fun, its… Nice. Like a little something to look forward to, like a present in the mail, you know?_

_I get it if you don’t want to keep it up though, I do. You said from the get-go that letters weren’t exactly your thing and I get that._

_But I have a suggestion for you, if you wanna continue chatting, and that is to move from this to e-mails. I mean, it’s a hell of a lot faster and I gotta tell you, stamps to Japan were expensive for a poor country-boy like myself._

_If you don’t want to, I get it, I do. You don’t even have to answer me in the next letter, but I’ll hand over my address anyway. If you want to shoot me a response there as well, then that would be cool._

_So… Yeah. Hope to hear from you, Hanzo and that your letter won’t be the last I hear from ya. Because I think you sound like a real swell guy and I’d like to be your friend. Or… continue being your friend._

_Hit me up at high.noon@gmail.com and we’ll chat there, yeah?_

_Jesse”_

 

Hanzo didn’t even hesitate.

He quickly started penning down a response to Jesse, wanting to send the letter as soon as he could. He wanted to tell Jesse wrong, that he did enjoy the letters, but he found it hard to write it down without sounding stupid. His pride wouldn’t allow it.

So instead he answered Jesse’s questions, he wrote about his day, he wrote about Christmas in Hanamura and he treated the letter as if it wouldn’t be the last one.

 

And he added a little extra at the end.

 

_“By the way, by the time you are reading this, I am hoping that we are communicating by e-mail as I really want us to continue to talk._

_Like you, I find myself enjoying it and I agree with your thoughts. These last months, it has been like a little present, getting these letters in the mail. And I wouldn’t mind sending one to you, once in a while._

_But I would also like to get to know you further, as you are my first friend overseas and I find myself enjoying our conversations. An e-mail will bring me as much joy as letters will._

_So, a belated answer from the past, to be received by you in the future._

_Check your e-mail._

_Hanzo”_

 

As soon as he was done with the letter, Hanzo folded it up and stuck it into an envelope, quickly writing Jesse’s name and address on the front before he booted up his laptop.

For some reason, his heart was beating in his chest as he opened his web browser, watching as his e-mail loaded up. It felt like it took forever even though it only took its usual few seconds, but once it was ready Hanzo made quick work off it. He opened a new e-mail and immediately started typing.

 

“To: high.noon@gmail.com

Subject: Surprise

 

Kon’nichiwa, Jesse-San.

 

I imagine that this e-mail will come as a surprise to you and I hope the surprise will be a pleasant one.

Also, I hardly think you should be pleased by the fact that your school had to shut down, though if the standards of the American education system is anything to go by, it might be doing you all a favor.

 

As for Christmas-…”


	2. E-Mail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From letters to e-mails.  
> And Jesse starts figuring out just how nice it feels to have someone can listen without judging him.

Letting out a groan, Jesse let his bookbag slide of his shoulder and fall onto the floor with a loud thud, ignoring it in favor of his bed.  
Christmas break had been a welcome holiday, but the start-up on the new year were always brutal, especially since they were given their test-results from the last semester. Never a fun thing in Jesse’s book, especially since his grades were somewhat sub-par. He really had to step up his game for the next semester or his dad would have his hide.

Still, there were a few new bright-spots in-between all the stress and nagging.

For one, it was finally Friday, meaning Jesse had two days of freedom to actually think about other things instead of school.  
And the other…

Smiling, Jesse opened up the e-mail on his phone and read through the e-mail he had gotten last night. He had been too tired to answer it then and too busy at school later, but now he had plenty of time.

_“Hi Jesse,_

_I am almost envious of you, being able to be so casual about everything. I am sure I would have responded quite differently to being around my teachers like that. Though I suppose I am not perfect in that regard either.  
In fact, father took me and my brother to one of his business meetings yesterday, in preparation for our future, and I almost fell asleep because there was so much talking. I think Genji actually did fall asleep. His eyes were closed at least and he was drooling. I wish I had taken a picture of him.”_

Jesse chuckled and smiled as he continued reading, having gotten a good indication about Genji and Hanzo’s relationship by now.  
After the two of them started e-mailing one another, their exchange had gone from once every three weeks to almost once a day, depending on when the other had time to answer. Giving their time differences, Jesse usually sent Hanzo an e-mail when it was night-time and the other way around, but Jesse didn’t mind. At least it was easier to communicate now.

When he had been given the assignment at school, he had been pretty neutral to it. Sure, talking to people from somewhere else in the world could be fun, but he already did that. He had a couple of friends, scattered here and there, that he’d either met via online games or forums, but he wasn’t the type to sit still for long. Video-games were fun, sure, but he liked the great outdoors better.  
Still, he didn’t want to half-ass it, believing that whoever would get his letter would be just as neutral as he was. Besides, there was always a chance that he would get some sort of exotic cutie from across the world.

What he didn’t expect was Hanzo.

Hanzo had always been so formal, so on point in his letters that Jesse couldn’t help but be drawn to him. He had never met someone quite like Hanzo and he wanted to know more about him, and it had only taken two letters before he saw a change in the way he was writing. The first two letters had been reserved, private, the teen only giving up just enough information to satisfy the question and retaliating with the same type of questions back. But in the third letter Hanzo had started asking questions of his own as well as giving more of himself. He freely told a story about him and his brother, how his brother had gone completely ape-shit while playing a video-game and Hanzo had to carry him out of an arcade because someone had accused Genji of cheating, but only after threatening bodily harm on the person who had harassed Genji in the first place. The mental image was priceless, making Jesse laugh despite the fact that he had no idea what Genji or Hanzo looked like.   
Jesse had sent a couple of pictures of Santa Fe and himself and while Hanzo had sent pictures of Hanamura and Tokyo, he had not sent any pictures of himself or his brother. Jesse was curious, but figured that Hanzo would send him one if and when he was comfortable enough.

Still, as he read the latest e-mail again, Jesse did kind of wish Hanzo had followed through with his urges and taken a picture of the sleeping Genji.  
Smiling some, Jesse continued reading the e-mail before he started typing a response to the latest e-mail, eagerly filling Hanzo in about his day.

“Oi. Oi, idiota. What’cha doin’?”

Rolling his eyes some, Jesse gave his adoptive sister a half-glare as she poked her head inside his room. “What does it look like I am doing?”

“Looks like you’re messin’ around with your phone again,” Sombra replied.   
“Dad’s gonna freak. Was your turn to do the dishes downstairs.”

“No, that was your turn. Payment because I covered for you when you snuck out last week,” Jesse replied, raising an eyebrow.

“And I covered for -you- when you dented the truck the week before that,” Sombra pointed out while studying her purple-colored nails, smirking some as she leaned against the doorframe.  
“So you best hop to it, brother dear.”

Jesse just groaned and closed down the e-mail on his phone after saving his response as a draft, then quickly shoved the phone into his pocket. As much as he loved his sister, he did not trust her one bit when it came to his personal-life. She already had enough shit to blackmail him with, but he supposed he deserved it.  
He had, after all, taken his role as a big brother very seriously, with everything that entailed. Teasing was definitely a part of it that he had taken to heart when younger and karma definitely had come back to bite him in the ass when it came to that.  
He had been a bit of a brat when younger and Jesse was fully aware of it. He had come from a broken home with an alcoholic father and a mother who resented him, and after several trips to several foster homes he had been taken in by Gabriel Reyes when he was thirteen; a man he now proudly called “pops” and the only one who had been able to tolerate the shit Jesse did.

Gabriel was a fair, no nonsense type of man, and his tough love had been more than enough to set Jesse straight. Just a couple of years later, Sombra had come into Gabriel’s life and despite being alone with Jesse, he had taken her in as well.  
Just how Gabriel had gotten away with it or even why, Jesse had no idea, but he didn’t question it. Gabriel was in the Santa Fe police-force, pretty high up and with ties everywhere, and Jesse suspected that the man had pulled a string or two in order to have it done. Jesse would forever be in his debt because of it because thanks to Gabriel, he had been able to set himself straight.

Of course, that didn’t mean he didn’t get into trouble every now and then. He just had too much curiosity and energy for his own good, but at least he didn’t do illegal shit anymore.

Heading down the stairs from his room, Jesse grabbed the banister and swung himself from the bottom of the stairs and to the hallway that would take him to the kitchen, noting the pair of familiar shoes that were standing by the front-door as he passed it.  
“’sup Uncle Jack,” he called out before he even saw him, giving him a nod as he saw the blond-haired man by the kitchen table. “Gabriel isn’t in right now.”

“I know,” Jack replied, giving Jesse a nod and a smile as the teen walked over to the sink to tackle the small pile of dishes in the sink.  
“I am here for… Different reasons.”

“Yeah?” Jesse asked as he plugged the sink up before filling it with hot water, adding a bit of soap into it. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to talk to you, actually,” Jack said. “About something important.”

Jesse could feel his heartrate increase, drumming hard in his chest as his mind tried to figure out just what Jack was on about.  
He had been behaving lately, hadn’t he? Didn’t say out way past his curfew, hadn’t taken the truck without permission, didn’t smoke in the house or steal Gabriel’s beer. Sure, his grades weren’t that great, but he wasn’t failing school either. And he hadn’t skipped a class so far this semester. He couldn’t think about a single thing that required a one-to-one with his dad’s friend.  
“Yeah? What ‘bout?” Jesse winched a little as he heard his own voice crack ever so slightly, making it sound like he was still pre-pubescent. 

“Your dad’s mentioned a few things to me,” Jack continued, running a hand through his short, blond hair, eyes fixed on Jesse’s back as the teen let himself be completely focused on the dishes.  
“And he realizes that you are a young man now and that some things are… Embarrassing to talk to with your dad.”

Jesse squeezed the soapy glass in his hand a little too hard, squeaking as the glass shot out of the sink and back down into the soapy water, luckily not breaking as he attempted to catch it.  
“The hell, Jack, where is this comin’ from?!”

“Well, your dad has noticed that you’ve been spending more time on your phone and that you spend a lot of time on your room lately,” Jack continued slowly, keeping his voice calm and neutral.  
“And he just wants to know what you’re okay and that if you ever need to talk about anything-“

“Okay, just… No, Jack. No,” Jesse cut in, pointing the brush at him like a sword, not caring about the fact that he was dripping soapy water onto the floor.  
“Don’t go there. Don’t you start lecturin’ me about the birds and the bees here, and no, I ain’t sneakin’ anyone into my room, dammit. Can’t a man have a little alone-time when he needs it? … And no, that ain’t a damn innuendo for me pullin’ my gherkin, okay?!”

“Okay, okay,” Jack said, holding his hands up. “Duly noted. But this wasn’t necessarily about sex, but if there was anything else. Like if you felt lonely or if someone was picking on you or… Well. Other things.”

“… Oh,” Jesse managed to croak out as he slowly lowered the brush, then quickly turned around to start working on the dishes, scrubbing them a little harder than intended.  
He couldn’t believe he had just done that and he couldn’t believe just how straight a face Jack was able to hold during all of that.  
“Well, I am fine,” he said after a few moments of silence, the only sound being the intense scrubbing and the splashes of water as Jesse continued working. “Nobody’s pickin’ on me except Sombra and I ain’t feelin’ lonely. So, you can tell my ol’ man that everything’s hunky dory and that I won’t look him in the eye for a while now since he sent you to speak to me about this shit. Or you for that matter.”

“Okay,” Jack chuckled and Jesse didn’t have to look at him to know that the man was having a shit-eating grin on his face. “You know your old man isn’t good when it comes to personal talk. He just wants to know that you’re okay.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jesse mumbled, still feeling his cheeks and ears burn from the embarrassment. “But ‘m good. Nothin’ wrong.”

“Okay. Good. Just know if there’s anything, you can talk to either me or your dad, okay?”

“Can you not,” Jesse whined, shuffling a little on his feet from discomfort. “This is… This is really weird, okay?”

“I get it,” Jack said, standing up from his seat while giving Jesse a faint smile. “I am sorry for taking you off-guard, Jesse. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“’s fine,” Jesse said, trying to sound nonchalant about the entire thing, but feeling that he didn’t manage. He was still tense, still shuffling on his feet and his voice had an annoying squeak to it when he hit certain tones. If Jack noticed, he didn’t say anything about it, much to Jesse’s relief. Jack was good like that.  
“You don’t have to leave or anything. I mean, dad will be home soon.”

“I know,” Jack replied as he headed to the back door. “I’ll just wait for him in the garage.”

“Alright,” Jesse replied, but he was secretly happy about it. He liked Jack, but he felt embarrassed as hell now, needing some time to actually bounce back from the unexpected conversation.  
He was just happy that Sombra hadn’t been around to hear it. … At least he hoped she hadn’t.

After finishing up the remains of the dishes, quickly drying them over and mumbling to himself about them needing a dishwasher as he put them back in their place, Jesse quickly returned to his room, eager for some time to himself.  
Closing the door to his bedroom behind him, Jesse immediately fished his phone back up from his pocket and went back to typing his e-mail to Hanzo.

_“Had to leave for a bit in the middle of writing this, my sister made me do the dishes where I had the most awkward talk with my dad’s friend. I swear, the only thing that it would have been more awkward is if he had the sex-talk with me. Though he claimed it wasn’t that kinda talk, just a check-up on me. Guess I’ve spent a little more time in my room lately, but it’s all good, you know? ‘cuz I am spending it, talking with you.”_

Jesse paused a little and bit onto the bottom of his lip, chewing on it for a moment as he thought about what he had just typed out. He wasn’t sure why he had typed out what he just did, but he felt a need to let Hanzo know that he enjoyed talking to him. While he had friends, both guys and girls that were his age, he didn’t feel like he could talk to them. They were all carefree people who didn’t take much seriously and Jesse didn’t even know he had missed that until Hanzo had come into the picture. But after they started talking together, just sharing things and even airing small frustrations out to the other… It was liberating. Jesse wasn’t sure why it was so nice, but he supposed it was because Hanzo wasn’t here, judging. He didn’t know the people Jesse was talking about and could be a true, impartial person to Jesse’s minor complains when he was frustrated about something.  
Someone that listened to him and could give him advice.

Of course, he tried to be the same person back for Hanzo, reading and “listening” to his complains about his younger brother, his family, school and responsibilities, trying his best to give advice that would hopefully help his Japanese friends.  
Hanzo seemed to appreciate it at least, thanking him for listening and apologizing for complaining, something Jesse always dismissed.

Hanzo was a friend by now, even if they had never met in the flesh and he was someone Jesse trusted.

In a way, he could better understand Sombra and her online friends now, understanding the relationship she had with those people now that he was in the same situation.  
But as he thought about it, he did find that something bothered him a little. He had never actually seen Hanzo, or even heard his voice. While he trusted Hanzo, he also found that he desperately wanted to see the man, just to put a face to the words. While he knew he shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, just having the words without seeing the face was difficult. Still, he didn’t want to push Hanzo so he didn’t bring it up other than small comments of “Oh, I wish I had seen your face when that happened” and similar replies.

Sighing some, Jesse finished up the e-mail and pressed send before putting his phone onto the table. He let himself fall back onto the bed and just stared at the ceiling with one arm behind his head, the other resting over his belly.  
Jack’s talk kept spinning around on his mind and for some reason, it did bother him a little bit. Not because he was ashamed, but because he wasn’t sure they would understand. Gabriel wasn’t against technology, but he was very much the whole “get outside and get some fresh air” type of man, preferring to be outside rather than staying inside to watch TV or something similar, something Jesse also preferred. At least up until now.

Grunting some, Jesse grabbed his phone and quickly dialed up one of his friends. “Oi. Junkers. Free tonight? I feel the need to spread my wings a bit.”

***

Perhaps he had drunk a little too much.  
Jesse certainly hadn’t planned to drink as much as he did, but it was a little too easy to get swept away by the mood and “peer-pressure”. Said peer-pressure was more or less just his friends saying “have another” and him saying “sure!”, but Jesse reasoned that it still counted.  
He’d had fun though, sitting outside at a forest clearing with his friends, drinking, playing cards, smoking and just in general having a good time. Still, he couldn’t help but check his phone now and then, to see if he had gotten a response from Hanzo.

“Watch doing,” Jameson asked as he leaned over Jesse’s shoulder to glance down at his phone. “Yeh’ve been lookin’ at yer phone all night, mate.”

Jesse pushed Jameson’s head away, wrinkling his nose some. “Fuck, your breath stinks, man. And I ain’t doing nothin’, just checkin’ if I’ve gotten any messages, is all.”

“From who?” Jameson asked, leaning back against the trunk of a tree while waving a half-empty bottle of beer towards Jesse.  
“Oh, oh! Got yerself a little somethin’ somethin’?”

“A little what?”

“Yah know. Somethin’,” Jameson grinned, wiggling his eyebrow in Jesse’s direction. “Got yerself a little kittycat.”

“… Ew, Junkers. Just ew,” Jesse deadpanned, though it was hard to look serious when he was starting to see double. “Don’t fucking say it like that, you make it sound nasty as all hell. But now, I ain’t got a girl or anything. Just a mate.”

“A bum-mate?”

“No, not a bum-mate, just a friend,” Jesse replied, though he felt his cheeks flush ever so slightly. It wasn’t exactly a secret that Jesse swung all ways, but he didn’t exactly scream it out to the world either. For him, it was the inside that matter, not the wrappings it came in, but it was still a little embarrassing to think about.

“A possible bum-mate?”

“Junkrat, don’t you have any beer that needs drinkin’,” Jesse asked as he slid his phone into his pocket.

Time seemed to fly past him after that and he only returned home when it was nearing five in the morning.  
He was still drunk, he knew he smelled like an ashtray mixed with smoke from the fire they had lit in an old fire pit, and he felt strangely lonely.  
He had checked his phone several times during the night, but there had been no e-mail from Hanzo. It wasn’t abnormal, sometimes Hanzo was busy, but it still made Jesse fell bummed out.

Opening the door to the house was a task in itself, and he almost tripped on the rug in the hallway when he entered the house. Everything sounded loud to him, not to mention that the world was spinning ever so slightly with each movement he mad.  
The stairs was a challenge and he almost fell twice, but once he made it into his room, he allowed himself to flop onto the bed and hug his pillow hard. Hanging out with his friends had been fun, but he felt a strange longing…   
He wanted Hanzo to be there and party with him. He wanted to see Hanzo and see him smile, hear him laugh.

“Don’t be stupid,” he mumbled to himself, hugging the pillow harder to his chest. “You don’t know him properly… Don’t know him…”

But he wanted to.

Still holding his pillow hard to himself with one arm, Jesse fumbled for his phone in his pocket before he managed to fish it up. He opened his e-mail, letting out a whine of disappointment as he saw no answer from Hanzo still.  
Feeling a strange, intense longing, Jesse shifted to lay down on his stomach, still holding onto the pillow as he started to type out an e-mail.

_“Hi Hanzo. Been out drinkin’ and ‘m drunk as shit. I had fun, but I missed yah. Kept thinkin’ about yah. Bet you’re havin’ fun as well or maybe you’re still sleepin’. Or maybe you’re still at school, I can’t remember which way the time goes for yah right now. Did I mention I’m drunk? I’m drunk and I wanna see your face, Hanzo. Can I see your face, Hanzo? Do you have skype? I have skype and I wanna see your face. It’s the same as my e-mail or you can find me by name or nickname. ‘s Cybercowboy. Don’t laugh at me, I know you’re laughing at me. Add me, Hanzo, cuz I really wanna see your face. Jesse.”_

Then he dropped his phone and buried his face against his pillow, feeling his eyes slowly close as the alcohol slowly started to take over everything.  
“Wanna see your face, Hanzo,” Jesse mumbled, slipping in and out of consciousness as sleep slowly took him over.

He missed the e-mail that came dropping in an hour later, along with the skype-invitation from “The Eldest Dragon”.

_“Hello Jesse,_

_I apologize, I was very busy today. I had to prepare for a presentation, but never mind that. How are you doing? You seemed very drunk indeed when sending this last e-mail and it had me a little concerned.  
So, I made myself a Skype-account and I have added you there. It is currently 7pm here on Saturday so feel free to give me a call when you wake up. Since it is the week-end, I will allow you to call even if it is the middle of the night. So that you see my, as you put it, face._

_Hanzo.”_


	3. Skype

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From e-mails to Skype.  
> Hanzo learns just how nice it is to have someone waiting for him, accepting him for who he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for being so late with this!  
> I've just worked a lot lately, it has been a very hectic summer for me. We've also gotten a lot of new people at work and I am training a few of them, which is also eating a lot of my time. I am also recently being given a new role at work, which is even more draining, but I am trying my best to deal.  
> But I have not forgotten my art or my fanfics, I promise! I just need some time to finish things!

It because a new routine for Hanzo, ever since the first day they saw and spoke to one another over Skype.  
Hanzo had never used Skype before, had never had a need for it, but he could definitely appreciate it now.

It had been with a mix of giddy excitement that he had left his new Skype-account open after sending Jesse his e-mail, wondering when and if Jesse would contact him soon or if he was already asleep. The email was enough to tell him that Jesse was drunk so he was willing to bet that he wouldn’t be contacted until late that night or even in the morning, but Hanzo was willing to wait.

And the wait had been so very much worth it.

When he heard the notification that he had a call, Hanzo had at first tried to find the source of it, grumbling because he had been woken up from having fallen asleep.  
When he saw the tag “Metal_Cowboy” flashing on his laptop’s screen he forgot all about his sleepiness, quickly grabbing his laptop so he could answer the call.  
He was strangely nervous, having never done this before, but he also felt excited. He was about to speak to Jesse, a friend from the other side of the earth.

Taking a deep breath, Hanzo shifted his laptop so his webcam was at a good angle before he answered the call.

There was silence as he heard some rummaging through the speakers, then Jesse’s sleepy face appeared on the screen.   
Hanzo still didn’t speak, merely taking in the sleepy appearance of his American friend. The messy, half-long hair, the half-closed eyes, the small soul-patch underneath his bottom lip and the bare neck and shoulders, showing a hint of muscles.   
He looked exactly like he had done in his pictures. It was the same, handsome face.

Jesse blinked his eyes tiredly a few times before his eyes opened fully, revealing dark brown eyes that flashed from tired to disbelief to what Hanzo assumed was joy.

“Wow,” Jesse’s voice sounded through the speakers as the American teen made himself more comfortable in what Hanzo assumed was Jesse’s bed. “That you, Hanzo?”

“Hello Jesse,” Hanzo replied, offering Jesse a small smile and a wave with his hand. He felt awkward, having never had an skype-conversation before, but at the same time he felt good. He could actually see his friend.

“Wow,” Jesse said again before chuckling. “Well, ain’t you something. I should have harassed you for pictures more so I would be somewhat prepared.”

Hanzo frowned some. What did Jesse mean by that? He didn’t feel he was that horrible to look at. His hair was a bit long, yes, and he didn’t have facial hair like Jesse did, but he wasn’t ugly. At least he didn’t think he was.

“Shoot, I didn’t mean it like that,” Jesse quickly said, waving a hand towards his camera. “Don’t mind me, I am still wakin’ up. What I meant is that you’re a sight, Hanzo. A good sight. Like, I had tried to picture you in my head for so long and you just… You’re a sight. A pretty sight. Handsome sight. … Shoot, I’m just babbling now.”  
Jesse flushed some and looked away, his tanned cheeks turning red. “… This is not how I pictured this would go.”

“It’s… it’s fine, I… I am not very used to this either,” Hanzo said, feeling his own cheeks redden from embarrassment.  
“I think I understand what you mean, Jesse.”

Jesse smiled at that, turning his head to look at Hanzo again. “I am glad you called though. I… I was a bit drunk when I sent that e-mail so I thought you maybe would just ignore it or just… Call me stupid or something.”

“Why would I do that,” Hanzo asked, tilting his head somewhat. 

“I dunno,” Jesse admitted with a small chuckle, shrugging his shoulders. “I just wanted for our first meeting to be special, you know? Not with me being hung-over in bed, looking like shit while you are over there, looking like a prince.”

“Okay, now you are just being stupid,” Hanzo said, his own lips tugged into a small smirk. “What does our appearance have to do with it?”

“I dunno… First impressions I guess?” Jesse chuckled nervously.  
“But yeah… Here we are.”

“Here we are,” Hanzo echoed. There was a moment of silence where they both just stared at one another and even Hanzo could feel there was a tension in the air. A tension he didn’t want to be there. Jesse was still clearly embarrassed about his rambling and the Japanese teen knew he had to be the one to break the silence somehow.   
“So… Tell me of this party you attended?”

And that was that. 

Jesse latched onto the excuse and started telling Hanzo everything that had happened and Hanzo happily listened, smiling and making comments here and there.

It became a ritual after that.

The consensus was that when the other was logged onto Skype it was fine to call. It was a signal that the other was available. So when Hanzo came home from school, he would immediately log onto Skype and see if Jesse was on, giving him a call if he was.  
Jesse would do the same when he came online and saw that Hanzo was on and from there they would talk about whatever came onto their minds.

It had been weird at first. Neither one of them knew just how to start when they called the other. Just greeting one another with a soft “hello” before staring long enough until one broke down and just started laughing.  
Jesse was the saving grace that kept the train going. He always had something to talk about and as Jesse spoke, Hanzo relaxed and felt himself open up enough to join in.

From there, it became easier and as time passed, Hanzo realized just how nice it felt to have this option. While the emails had been nice, serving as a small, welcome break from homework or whatever else he was doing, skype was even better.  
It was just easier to have Skype on and just talk while he did something else, like homework or light studying, even when drawing. 

The downside was that Genji often came over to talk to Jesse as well and for some reason Hanzo felt a little jealous and possessive when that happened. Jesse was his friend and he wanted him for himself when he could.  
The thoughts had made him somewhat surprised and unsettled with his own mind, so he hadn’t done anything with it.

Besides, he got Jesse alone most of the time anyway and Genji didn’t even attempt to add Jesse to his own Skype. He was just excited to see the one that had “broken his older brother’s shell”.

As time passed, the calls became more personal, almost intimate and hardly a day went by without them quietly speaking to one another, sharing hopes, dreams and secrets with one another. It had reached a level where they now felt comfortable to tell one another anything, despite how embarrassing and nonsensical it might have been.  
Because they knew that they wouldn’t judge one another.

Hanzo had never had that before expect what he felt he could share with Genji. In fact, the last person he had been able to talk to had been his mother before she died.   
His father… His father was hard to talk to and Hanzo had mimicked that behavior. Instead of talking about things, Hanzo clammed things up. He hid it inside and dealt with it on his own.

That was until Jesse had come along.

Jesse with his messy brown hair, his attempts at a beard, his warm eyes and equally warm smile. The way he spoke, listened and made Hanzo laugh.  
It didn’t take a genius to know that Hanzo was starting to fall hard and fast for the American, but he wouldn’t realize it until he got a certain drunken call from Jesse.

Getting drunken calls from Jesse wasn’t an unusual thing; the teen seemed to be in the habit of wanting to chat to Hanzo every day in one way, shape or form, and his go-to when drunk was Skype. He said it was because his fingers wouldn’t listen to him when trying to type, but Hanzo had teased that his mouth wasn’t listening either.  
Truth be told, Hanzo enjoyed the drunken calls, getting a chance to see a more vulnerable site to Jesse. Jesse tended to just talk when he was drunk, his brain, who normally didn’t have much of a filter to begin with, seemed to lose whatever little restrain he usually had. More than once had Jesse stop mid-sentence and just stare at Hanzo before he smiled goofily, telling Hanzo how pretty his eyes or hair was. The first time it happened Hanzo had blushed, but now, several weeks later, he was getting used to it. He didn’t know which way Jesse swung exactly, he had heard him compliment both men and women for their appearance. Granted, he’d mostly heard Jesse speak of about someone’s appearance when it came to women, but having been on the male side of the compliments more than once, Hanzo was fairly sure that Jesse went both ways.  
Somehow, it wasn’t surprising. Jesse seemed like the type that went for the inside rather than the outside.

As for Hanzo himself… Well, he wasn’t sure.  
He’d never really been attracted to someone and appearance wasn’t important to him. To him, he could find both men and women beautiful, but in the same way he could find a piece of art beautiful. At least, that was the case until he met Jesse.

Jesse had a way of making him think about those things, especially since Jesse had been so surprised that “a pretty-boy like him” was without a partner.  
The fact that Hanzo was merely eighteen didn’t seem important to Jesse, who insisted that it was a crime that someone like Hanzo was single.  
It was both flattering and confusing, and Hanzo honestly did not know how he felt about it.

But it was one specific evening where things changed.   
One specific drunken call that made Hanzo realize a few things.

He wasn’t sure what had caused it, but Jesse had seemingly hit the bottle pretty hard and when his face popped up on Hanzo’s computer screen, Hanzo could see the red in Jesse’s eyes as well as the flush on his skin.  
“Jesse?”

“Mm… ‘m Hanzo… ‘m pretty drunk.”

“So I can tell, Jesse,” Hanzo chuckled, smiling as he saw Jesse squint towards his webcam. “Big celebration today?”

“Nah…” Jesse slurred as he turned his eyes back to Hanzo, shifting to lay his head onto his arms, which rested on what Hanzo guessed was his desk. “Just… A bit meh, ya know…?”

“Why,” Hanzo asked, feeling concerned as he looked at Jesse. It was unusual to see the normally upbeat and cheerful American so down in the dumps. “Did something happen?”

Jesse hiccupped before shaking his head slowly. “Naw… Or… Kinda. Flunked a test again.”

“Oh,” Hanzo replied, looking a little surprised. “I am sorry to hear that, Jesse.”

“Eh, don’t be,” Jesse said, waving his hand in the direction of the webcam. “Didn’t really do my best… was my own fault.”

“What makes you say that?” Hanzo asked, frowning as he looked at Jesse. Jesse wasn’t a stupid kid, very far from, but Hanzo could tell that his friend had something weighing rather heavily on his mind.

Jesse shrugged his shoulders again before looking up at Hanzo, half his face covered by his own arms.  
“… Hanzo?”

“Yes, Jesse?”

“… How d’ya do it?”

“Do what, Jesse?”

Jesse paused for a moment, his alcohol-fogged brain obviously struggling to string together a proper sentence. “To just… know. I mean… Ya know what yer gonna do after high-school ‘n shit. Y’ave a goal and yer stickin’ to it.”

Hanzo didn’t have an answer to that. In fact, when he thought about it, he wanted to laugh. His future wasn’t exactly what Jesse was describing; something he desire and wanted. If anything, he merely accepted it as something that just was. Education and getting into the right schools were important in Japan and even with his status, Hanzo had worked hard to get the choices he now had lined up. His choices, however, were monitored and “encouraged” by his family and clan. They had one path for him and Hanzo… he just walked on it.

“It is easy when your future is decided for you.”   
It slipped out before Hanzo could even stop himself, and he had to resist the urge to slap his hand over his mouth.

Jesse didn’t seem like he had listened, but the teens eyes shifted slightly, just enough to look Hanzo in the eyes. They were both silent for a minute or so, just staring at one another before Jesse once again broke the silence.

“Come to America.”

“What?”

“Come to America,” Jesse repeated, pushing his head up from the desk. “For the summer. Come visit me.”

“Are you serious,” Hanzo asked, frowning some as he looked at Jesse. Jesse just nodded, still staring at Hanzo.  
“… You are serious.”

Jesse continued to stare before shaking his head some. “No, ‘s just… Well ‘m serious, but I just… I wanna meet you, Hanzo. Summer’s almost here and if you don’t have plans… I mean, before you start university and all that… Would be nice.”

“Jesse,” Hanzo started, his voice low and soft, but Jesse had already buried his head back into his folded-up arms, hiding his face and, more importantly, his eyes away from Hanzo.  
“Jesse.”

No answer. 

Hanzo tried again, louder, but the only answer he got then was a soft snore.   
Jesse had fallen asleep, having finally given into exhaustion and the alcohol in his system.

Sighing some, Hanzo just remained seated by his computer, watching as Jesse slept on camera, listening to the soft snoring.  
“… Good night, Jesse,” he murmured softly, lifting his hand to gently touch the image of the sleeping Jesse before he disconnected the call.

As the screen turned black, Hanzo remained at his seat, just watching as he thought about what Jesse had just said.

_‘Come to America.’  
‘I wanna meet you, Hanzo.’_

Hanzo had to admit… the idea, it was tempting.  
The thought of meeting Jesse, someone he had spoken to, confined in and shared thoughts with, it was an exciting thought. A thought he wanted to make into reality.  
They had spoken for months now and Hanzo considered Jesse as one of his closest friends now. And summer-vacation was coming up on them soon… It would be a nice thing to experience before he started college.

As far as Hanzo was concerned, he felt he deserved this. It would be a life-experience, something he could bring with him as he started college and moved out of the Shimada residence.  
It would help him grow.

Now he just had to convince his dad.


End file.
